WRITTEN QUESTION E-0605/00

by Salvador Garriga Polledo (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(3 March 2000)

Subject: Possibility of granting the outermost regions permanent Objective 1 status

The outermost regions of the European Union face particularly severe difficulties because of their geographical remoteness and the distances separating them from the nerve centres of the respective Community countries to which they belong.

Because of this, and the fact that some of the outermost regions of the EU may exceed the ceiling of 75 % of average Community income, which would exclude them from the group of regions covered by Objective 1, with the risk that they would end up rejoining that group as a result of lack of assistance, it has been suggested that the outermost regions should be considered as belonging by definition to Objective 1.

Will the Commission examine the idea that the outermost regions should be included by definition under Objective 1, without taking into account their level of income, in order to alleviate the problems posed by their extreme geographical remoteness from their respective metropolitan centres?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(26 April 2000)

When it adopted the regulations on the Structural Funds(1), the Council decided that the seven outermost regions of the Community were eligible under Objective 1 under the criterion of 75 % of average gross domestic product (GDP). At that time, the statistical data available showed that all these regions satisfied that criterion. They remain eligible throughout the 2000-2006 programming period.

As regards the period from 2007, the Commission stated in the report(2) that it has just forwarded to the Council on the implementation of Article 299 (former Article 227)(2) of the EC treaty that it intends to consider how best to reflect the individual situations of these regions recognised by Article 299(2) in eligibility for the Structural Funds.

(1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.

(2) COM(2000) 147 final.